We're Just Kids
by Berry9704
Summary: AU. A blonde pianist who ran away from her rich household, a pink haired guitarist abandoned by his father, a red headed drummer with a hard and awful past, a black haired bassist who sees red in his dreams, and a blue haired singer who all by herself finds peace in the rain. At the Fairy Academy no one's typical, so maybe, just maybe, they didn't have to be alone.
1. Meetings

******Genre:** some drama, some comedy, definitely some romance

******Pairings****: **NaLu, Gruvia, Jerza

******Synopsis: **AU. A blonde pianist who ran away from her rich household, a pink haired guitarist abandoned by his father, a red headed drummer with a hard past who's a school's president, a black haired bassist who sees red in his dreams, and a blue haired singer who all by herself finds peace in the rain. At the Fairy Academy no one's typical, so maybe, just maybe, they didn't have to be alone.

******AN: **Don't worry, it's not going to be a songfic. Basically, the main characters are attending the Fairy Academy of Music & Arts and Performing Arts, so they have music skills. They're going to start a band at some point in the story, just like in canon they teamed up ;)

See end for notes!

* * *

******Chapter 1. Meetings.**

* * *

The hypnotic silence in a cosy and small apartment was interrupted by a loud noise of some cheap alarm clock. Lucy grumbled, now trying to shield her half-asleep self from the annoying sound with the warm blankets. Discovering that it didn't help a bit, she decided to stretch her arm and kill the source of the repeating melody. After winning the fight with the audible device, she cuddled further into her sheets, not daring to open her tired eyes. Just before she could drift off to meet the dreams, the so loved by her sound started calling desperately for her attention for the second time this morning. The blonde couldn't stand it anymore, so she finally threw the quilt off of her and turned off the alarm clock for good.

Her eyelids flew open and she stole a glance at the hour.

6.30.

Lucy groaned. She managed to get only three hours of sleep. To say that she was exhausted was a big understatement, she at least felt like dying. It wasn't her first time though. In her seventeen years long life she quite often happened to stay up late writing her novel.

Lucy scoffed in annoyance. "To think I wasn't supposed to do that anymore."

She reached the bathroom at long last and slammed its door closed, even though she lived alone. She felt more secure by doing it. Besides, she still had some manners which she couldn't get rid of.

Even when she wished to be rude, rebel, and rough, she always ended up with a polite, nice, and gentle attitude. So the only way Lucy could stand up to her father was to run away from him.

It was already a month of living on her own and he didn't make any move to get her back. She expected him to send his men after her, or at least a goddamn letter, but nothing of the following happened.

Normally people would forget about the previous events. Normally they would move on and live their lives anew.

But not Lucy. This feeling haunted her, made her want to throw up at every step she took.

The feeling as if someone was watching her.

She shook off the unpleasant thoughts and stepped out of the shower. The cold air hit her warm body abruptly, causing the goosebumps to rise at the surface of her skin.

"Ahh, where's the towel, where's the towel!" she sang, desperately looking for something to stop the chilly temperature of the bathroom from attacking her. After getting dressed, she examined her looks in the mirror. Big brown eyes seemed to shrink in size, now on the verge of closing with black circles under them. Thankfully, that was the only problem and enough amount of make-up could easily solve it.

Being done with making herself presentable Lucy lazily paced towards the kitchen in an attempt to prepare breakfast. She munched on simple toast and eggs for eternity, feeling like a mindless zombie. Sensing that she would not wake up soon, she got up and made a coffee.

Lucy loved the bitter taste of the black liquid burning her mouth. It calmed her system down, ironically. She sipped slowly on her coffee, enjoying every minute of tasting it. A feeling of disappointment hit her when she noted that none of the heavenly good drink was left.

She was addicted to it. After all, she couldn't suddenly fall asleep while writing the new chapter at night.

Feeling the buzz of coffee finally pulsating through her veins and waking her, Lucy moved her now normal-sized eyes to the sight of the clock hanging from the pink-coloured wall.

7.30.

Her lamps doubled in size at the newfound information.

"Shit!" she cursed and immediately covered her mouth. She couldn't get herself to speak like that. Not at the thought of her long gone mother being disappointed in her behaviour.

Why did she have to go away? That woman was cruel. She left her little girl all alone in the big world. She thought her husband would take care of their treasure. She thought they would move on without her. So she smiled when she was lying in her king-sized bed, already closing her own eyes to never open them again.

Such a naive woman she was. Such a stupid, naive, selfish, beautiful, good, lovely, and caring woman.

And Lucy missed that woman. Because she was the best thing that could happen to anyone. And she was lucky to have her as a mother.

However, Lucy was selfish, too. She wanted her to stay. She wanted her to stay for Lucy's whole life, not just a mere ten years of it.

But maybe her mother wasn't that selfish after all. With her death Lucy stopped dreaming, the spell was broken. Yet it was painful. She could wake Lucy up another way. She didn't have to leave her all alone just to show her the cruelty of life.

Lucy used to be in love with the wrong world. And the one who held her under the impression was her own mother.

No, she definitely wasn't selfish. She passed away to wake her daughter up from the slumber. And she succeeded.

Her little child understood that in this world there was no room for dreaming of the better places, for ignoring the death's callings. There was no room for it, because this world wasn't some dreaming state. It was so real, that it was slightly difficult to live.

The blonde took a last glance at the clock and quickly left the apartment, ready for a fast run through the streets of Magnolia.

* * *

"I'm off to school, see ya, buddy!" called the lean and muscular pink haired teen, shutting the door to the cottage close. Just when he was about to storm off, he heard scratching. The boy crouched by the entrance and snickered amused.

"Oi, Happy, you know I can't take you with me, right?"

The cat only scratched the wooden door harder, as if trying to get to the other side of it.

"Happy, I'll be back in no time-" the pink-head started, but was cut off by loud meowing. He swore his pet said "Natsu" just now.

"God damn you, Happy," he cursed, touched to the very soul by the cat calling his name. Natsu opened the door without a moment's hesitation, seeing the blue cat sitting miserably on the floor. Suddenly animal's big black eyes shone with pure happiness and hope.

Natsu sighed. "Yeah, yeah, you got me again, now come here, you little devil," he said, picking the blue ball of fur up. Then he closed the door and finally went in the school's direction.

After some time walking through the busy streets of Magnolia in silence, Happy meowed again, snatching Natsu from his train of thought. The boy peeked at his cat curiously, wondering what he wanted.

"'Sup, buddy?" he asked and petted the cat, receiving a pleased purr from him. The pet looked up at his owner and lazily meowed once again, cocking his small head to the right. Natsu grinned.

"Sleepy, huh?" he asked. The cat blinked heavily, as if answering the question. "I'm a bit sleepy, too, ya know. Guess we're not used to waking up this early."

Happy yawned and looked at Natsu questioningly. "Don't look at me like that! It's the first day of our third year, buddy! Gotta be present today. Besides, where would I meet Gray and Erza if not at school, huh?" he said poking the cat's head. "Gotta think a little!"

The cat stopped cleaning his paw in the middle, looking quite surprised at the pink-head's statement. Natsu pouted, noticing the change in Happy's behaviour.

"Oi! I have a brain, too, ya know!"

The boy was so engrossed in the argument with his cat, he didn't notice the strange looks he was receiving. But he did notice, in fact, one worrisome thing happening in the broad daylight.

"N-no, I'm just looking for the school, p-please, leave me alone..." the blonde girl pleaded, surely being assaulted by the tall man with blue hair. When she turned around in a pitiful attempt to run away, he grabbed her by the wrist, deceiving her escape plan.

"Where are you going, miss? You sure about your answer? No second thoughts, hmm?"

"N-no! Stop it!" she screeched desperately, but the man merely laughed at her.

Natsu couldn't watch it anymore. He was pissed at the guy for purposely ignoring the big red sign screaming "STOP" the girl had plastered on her terrified face. He was so pissed he didn't registered his fist colliding with the man's jaw and successfully bringing him down in the process.

Natsu walked over to the blonde and gave her his cat. "Take care of him for now, will ya?"

Then he brought his attention to the man.

"Oi, bastard," Natsu called lowly, crouching in front of him. "Didn't you hear the girl?"

The fallen man looked wide-eyed at the boy, still shocked from the amount of strength the pink-head possessed. He regained his composure soon enough and spat the blood from his cut lips at Natsu's face.

"You fucker! Don't you know who I am?" the man snapped angrily at him. After a second his expression changed, bringing a dark smirk onto his sharp features.

"I'm Salamander, and you're stupid enough to touch me."

Natsu scoffed and stood up, wiping the blood off his face. "Sorry, man, but I don't get what the fuck you're saying because of your broken jaw."

A few more men gathered around them, all of them too concerned about their leader's well-being to notice Natsu who slowly started walking off in the blonde girl's direction. One of them though was smart enough to connect the dots and threw himself at the pink-head.

"Watch out!" warned the girl. Natsu turned around just in time to avoid being hit by the gorilla man. He dodged the stroke and immediately aimed for his opponent's abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. While the man tried to regain his breath, Natsu brought the leg to his enemy's head and smashed it forcefully onto his knee. The force of an impact made the cracking sound, and soon enough the man laid motionlessly on the ground in the small pool of blood.

The boss and his men observed the short fight with mouths hanging agape. Overwhelmed by the skills of a few years younger boy, they started saying their fears out loud.

"B-Bora, he b-beat Ivan..." one of them spoke with shaking voice.

"With one h-hit..." another one added.

"A-and it was Ivan..." yet another said. "I-Ivan, Bora, Ivan!"

Bora didn't move from his spot though, nor did he respond to his comrades' callings. He was too aghast to do anything, as the certain thought occupied his mind.

Suddenly the boy chuckled lowly, very amused by the gang's expressions. He cracked the bones in his fingers loudly, this mischievous smirk still evident on his handsome face.

"So, who's next?" Natsu asked encouraging, the grin spreading wider on his features showing the sharp canines. "I'm all fired up!"

The men gasped, all of their predictions being confirmed with this one sentence.

"He... He's the r-real Salamander..."

* * *

Erza walked proudly through the full corridors of the Fairy Academy of Music & Arts and Performing Arts, all of the students trying not to get in Titania's way. Everyone except the first years.

"Oi," the redhead called darkly to a few boys who stumbled into her rather rudely. The whole hall went silent in a blink of an eye, knowing something was up.

"Got something to say to me?" she asked with the silent yet demanding voice. The students eyed her formidable attire, and in a mere second the feeling of fear took over them, causing them to choke out quick apologies. Erza looked at the boys once again, memorizing their shocked faces.

"Don't do that again, unless you regret your life."

With that said she left the astonished boys behind her and headed to the classroom, ignoring the irritating silence piercing through her ears.

"Tch. So annoying," Erza muttered under her breath. Something inside her snapped and she hastily turned around. "Mind your own business already!"

The school was lively again at the order, just as if nothing happened a few minutes ago. The girl scoffed and laughed dryly at the sight, her humour drastically increasing. She sure had unquestionable authority; three years of the leadership in the school as its president paid off.

Though she already had an authority on her first week as a student. Even among the then third years.

Erza stormed off in the opposite direction, ready to start off her second period. However, her journey was soon interrupted by the suspicious lack of any noise.

The redhead growled. "What again..."

She carefully moved her gaze along the whole corridor, seeking the source of the sudden interest. Her eyebrow twitched when she laid her eyes at her childhood friend.

"Natsu!" Erza roared, closing the distance between them in a few seconds. The said boy blinked and grinned sheepishly, obviously trying to hide something.

"Oh, 'sup, Erza! Girl, I missed you so-" he said trying to sound casually as ever while stretching his arms in an attempt to hug the president. Erza wasn't that eager to do so, though; she quickly punched the pink-head in the guts, successfully avoiding getting covered in blood and dirt.

"-much..." Natsu squeaked in a barely audible voice, gripping his stomach as to ease the pain.

"Explain yourself."

Erza didn't belong to the patient creatures. She wasn't fond of people not answering her questions fast enough.

"_Now._"

Everyone in the school could sense the dark aura gathering around the strong woman. As if on cue it started raining outside, the droplets of water tapping on the windows and breaking the heavy silence. It didn't help though; the tension hanging in the air increased dramatically, giving off the bad vibe.

Natsu looked ashamed on the floor, fighting an internal battle, it seemed. He clenched his fists tightly, causing the wounds on his knuckles to break open. Blood dripped onto the floor and in this exact moment someone from the outside the building sang softly, the sounds mixing with the grim melody of the heavy rain. Erza eyed her friend's hands with worry evident in her stern expression. Suddenly the bell rang, telling the students to head for their classrooms. However, none of them dared to move.

Erza ignored the signal and slowly raised her head up.

"Didn't you hear the bell?" she asked calmly, intimating the other students to leave the two alone. Everyone got the hint, with the exception of the certain blonde girl hiding behind Natsu. The president looked at her expectantly, wondering why she stayed here with a troubled expression.

Behind the girl's big brown eyes laid the emotions of fear, concern, and guilt; they were screaming for attention, yet her mouth remained sealed. Erza's own brown lamps flickered to her friend's face, covered by the pink strands of messy hair.

"Natsu," she said softly, "you fought again, didn't you?"

The boy stayed silent, as if scared to meet the president's gaze. Erza sighed quietly.

"What happened?"

Natsu clenched his fists, starting the bleeding once again. The redhead couldn't stand this pathetic sight of her friend anymore. She stepped towards him, trying to catch his hands covered in red.

"Natsu-"

"I... It's my fault!"

Erza's head snapped towards the unfamiliar girl. She furrowed her eyebrows, surprised by the sudden confession.

The girl sobbed. "He... He just... H-he saved me, president..." the blonde explained with a shaky voice. A single tear escaped her eye and found its way onto her red cheek.

"I-if not N-Natsu... If not him, I would... ___He _would... He would-"

"He would sell her."

Erza's eyes went wide at the information. She didn't expect something like that to be the case. Many questions formed themselves in her mind, but Natsu wasn't done with the story, yet.

"The bastard was a slave trader, can you believe that?" he breathed. "After I was done with them, we found a track full of young girls. Every one of them drugged."

Natsu scoffed. "That son of a bitch."

Strangely Erza wasn't shocked by this. She was fully aware of Magnolia's dark side, experiencing it firsthand. She went through hell in her childhood. She still felt the pain of loosing her family, the pain of working all days without a minute of rest, the pain of seeing death at every step.

The pain of not being able to protect those dear to her.

Erza knew what the girl must have felt. She went to her side and wrapped her arms around her protectively, showing that she wasn't alone. The blonde couldn't hold it in anymore. The action made her break down in front of a total stranger. She was crying her heart out while holding onto her comforter for a dear life. Erza stroke the girl's head soothingly, lulling her like a little baby.

"Natsu," she murmured. The boy barely hummed in response, rather taken aback by the scene playing in front of him. "Go to the nurse."

She knew he would listen to her. He was too confused by her behaviour, so she figured there would be no objections.

Just when the pink-head started walking in the nurse's office direction, she called him once again. He turned his head around, meeting her amused gaze.

"Don't bring Happy to school, understand?"

* * *

It was raining heavily by now.

Juvia didn't mind, though. She stood in the middle of an empty street, just around the corner of her new school while humming softly.

She didn't want to go inside. People would throw her away, as always. They would call her weird, strange, and gloomy. They wouldn't want to understand her.

What was wrong with being shy? What was wrong with being insecure? What was wrong with being lonely?

The blue haired girl pouted. "If you think that's wrong, then why don't you talk with Juvia and try to fix her?"

She didn't want to go inside. The rain was too beautiful to go away from it. How could one ignore its loveliness with umbrellas, Juvia would never understand. They always said that rain was a troublesome thing. It was depressing, the days like this one made them sad. They just didn't know how to derive joy from it. For Juvia it was a piece of cake. She never carried an umbrella with herself, because she loved rain.

If she loved something, then why would she separate herself from it with some meaningless things?

She giggled. "People are stupid."

Juvia's uniform was soaked wet, the cold fabric glued to her pale skin. She wasn't shivering. Many times had she walked in the rain, not caring about other people's presence nor the chilly feeling.

She looked around, noticing that nobody was in the range of her gaze.

There was also another thing Juvia loved - singing. Being shy didn't help at all in pursuing her hobby; she did that only when no one could hear. And now was one of this times.

"_Drip, drip, drop_," she quietly sang the simple melody from her childhood. Her mother used to lull her to sleep with it, when she still was alive, that is.

Juvia hadn't been always lonely. Until a few years ago she had always come home happily, knowing that someone was waiting for her. Someone who loved her.

She used to be happy, to be optimistic, because this way her mother lived. Her father had left them when Juvia wasn't born, yet, saying that he couldn't handle being a parent. She was always full of awe for the strong woman who happened to be her mother. The strong woman who faced all of the problems with a smile on her face, singing in the rain. The strong woman till the very end.

When she was gone, the reality hit Juvia too hard. She broke. Something inside her cracked. She couldn't be fully happy like she used to be. She couldn't go back to her old self, from before her mom's death. She couldn't.

Because she was broken.

She stopped singing for a while and let the tears flow down her porcelain-like face.

"Wonder if Juvia can be fixed..."

* * *

Gray observed the drops of water splashing onto the stone floor of the rooftop. He took a long drag on his cigarette and puffed the smoke out of his mouth after a while.

He liked the rain.

He wasn't supposed to like it, though. He was supposed to hate it, to hate it with all might of his corrupted heart. After all, in the weather like this Ur was killed.

Such a stupid child he was. Running off on the streets in a laughable attempt to take revenge on his parents' killer. Of course she would follow him. She loved him, she loved him even though he wasn't hers. And she had to shield him from the maniac holding a knife. She had to throw him on the side and take the blow herself. She had to play a hero.

She had to. Because she loved him.

What was he thinking, that stupid child. He wasn't hers and she wasn't his. He didn't have a right to take her away from this world, to take her away from Lyon. Or Ultear.

The three of them had one thing in common after the brutal incident. All of them hated Gray.

Lyon hated Gray.

Ultear hated Gray.

Gray hated himself.

Because she loved him too much, and he loved her not enough.

He lost his adoptive mother on the rainy day. He lost the woman who taught him how to live. He lost the woman who showed him what the true love was about.

No, he didn't lost his adoptive mother on the rainy day. He lost his real mother on the day like this.

So why did he like it when the water was pouring down from the sky?

Maybe it was the chilly feeling the liquid was leaving after meeting his skin sharply. Maybe it was the cold air hitting his usually cold body, calming him down in the process. Maybe it was her presence remaining in the sky's tears.

She adored winter. She infected Gray with her love for the cold. And she instilled in him the weird habit of undressing himself at any time. Not on the purpose, of course. They used to go for the runs on the winter mornings - Ur, Gray, and Lyon. But they weren't normal runs; they had to run only in their undergarments. It was hard for the kids at first, getting sick all the time and not standing the minus temperature. They got used to it, eventually.

They knew Ur wouldn't do any harm to them. She said it was the training for their bodies and minds. They would get as cold as the ice itself, so nothing could break them and their happiness.

His mother was a liar.

It didn't work. He wasn't happy anymore. He just got used to the lack of her person in his life.

Just when he ended his cigarette the door to the rooftop flew open, revealing the angry redhead standing in the doorframe.

"Gray. You ditch school again just to smoke this shit?"

He gulped. ___Fuck._

"Erza! Good to see you, girl! I missed you so-" he said while stretching his arms widely in an attempt to wrap them around the friend of his. However, Erza avoided being hugged for the second time this day and instead threw her fist into his abdomen.

"-much..." Gray ended, bringing his limbs to his stomach, trying to shoo the pain away. Didn't help.

"I told you to stop smoking a million times already. You should listen to me, idiot," Erza scolded him, not being concerned about making him want to throw up at all.

"Sorry... Just a habit, I guess..." he choked. The girl looked at him funny.

"Stop being such a pussy, Gray." She directed her gaze to the distance, as if in a deep thought. After a good few seconds of silence and pain, she spoke again.

"Natsu fought again."

Gray scowled at the news. "What an idiot. He wasn't supposed to do it."

Erza nodded, a worried expression evident on her strong face. "I know."

She hesitated a little before saying the next words. "But he saved the new girl... It was understandable this time."

Gray wasn't pleased by her reaction. "We can't ignore it. Something will finally go wrong, and we don't want that to happen, Erza. He has to stop letting his anger out this way, that bastard."

The redhead only sighed tiredly, massaging her temple.

"I know... It's just... tough."

Gray looked ahead of himself, watching the droplets of water colliding gracefully with the stone floor of the rooftop.

"Yeah... It sucks," he said quietly, thinking about all the things that they went through.

"We're just kids, for fuck's sake, and we already went through hell."

Erza merely smiled at the remark. "Just kids, you say..."

She raised her head up, looking at the grey sky.

"Just kids..."

* * *

******AN: **So this is it. What do you think?

I got really inspired watching the korean drama "Monstar". It's about young people with bigger or smaller problems who are connected through the love to music. Just to clear things out, this fanfiction isn't going to be that innocent. As you could see it has a dark undertone, and a mature content will be present later on. Just wait a little ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What are you thoughts on this chapter? Please, review! I want to know what you think about it, if you like it or maybe not. If you don't want to review, then PM me! I really want to know what people think about my writing, really. Pretty, pretty please :D

Also I'm sorry about the cover for the fanfic, I just didn't know what to choose, so I went with crying Juvia! Ahh, tough life, writer's life...

Let me know what you think, see ya! :)


	2. Melodies

**AN: **Sorry for the long wait, but I had a massive writer's block and didn't know how to get this chapter done! But it's here now :)

Also as you may saw, I changed the summary of the story _and _the rating. I had a lot of time to think about it, so I decided that this fanfiction isn't going to be an innocent one about friendship and crap like that. It has some dark undertone, and this way I can write about some... other things ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I edited my notes in the first chapter so you can go back and check them out, I wrote about it at the bottom.

**Important! **

To feel the mood of one scene go on YouTube and search for Jasmine Thompson - Mad World. Play this song in the moment when Juvia hears the piano. I hope you'll like it!

Let's begin, shall we? :)

* * *

**Chapter 2. Melodies.**

* * *

Ever since her transferring to the new school, Lucy's life had seemed to finally be in place.

Seemed to.

The blonde knew it was all just a temporary feeling, a temporary peace. Nonetheless, the little tingling inside of her chest made her... pleased. Cheerful. Optimistic.

But not happy.

Despite this all, she was smiling. She held her head high, wore a bright smile on her pretty face and cherished her life more and more with each day.

After all, she was alive. Thanks to him.

Lucy found herself smiling softly at the thought of her new friend. Of her first friend, to be exact. She didn't know what could've happened if not his intervene. Probably this man, Bora, would have sold her somewhere as a slave. Then her life would have turned worthless in an instant. She would have been labelled as a "thing", not as a normal human being anymore.

Thankfully, the pink haired boy, no, the pink haired _man_, had rescued her. She wasn't fond of the idea that she was a damsel in distress, that she couldn't take care of herself without anyone's help. There had always been someone watching over her. She couldn't do anything alone, since she was the daughter of one of the most powerful and successful people in the land of Fiore.

Lucy had been baby-sited all her life. She thought it would end once she became older, once she escaped her home.

But some things never change.

The blonde scoffed. Some things may not change, but she wasn't one of them. She was Lucy Heartfilia, and despite the way how much she hated her surname, she was damn proud of it. She was strong and powerful, she could _do_ things, she could _change_ things. But most important, she could change _herself_.

Nonetheless, she was grateful. Natsu had saved her life, dammit. Lucy was awfully aware of the sad fact that she couldn't do anything in the terrifying situation from over a week ago. She had no reason to believe that she actually could escape the grasp of this pathetic excuse of a human. She was too weak, after all. So all what was left for her to do was just being grateful.

As Lucy was walking through the busy streets of Magnolia, she spotted a bunch of pink hair. Then she saw the characteristic white scarf which looked like it was made of scales. Next, its owner, bouncing happily in the direction of the Fairy Academy. Her soft smile immediately broke into a grin and she found herself running towards the older boy.

"Hi, Natsu!" Lucy said sweetly once she was by his side. Natsu turned around with a cheerful expression.

"Yo, Luigi!"

Her eyebrow twitched. She hated when someone called her by definitely _not_ her name. She smacked his head and exploded.

"It's _Lucy_! You're doing it on purpose!"

Natsu whined and muttered under his breath, "Damn, Luigi is scary..."

He stopped his teasing when a surprisingly powerful for a petite girl punch flew to his face. He held his jaw protectively as if scared that it would fall off if he let go. His shocked eyes met hers and he trembled under the intimidating gaze the blonde held.

He knew this feeling.

He knew this feeling very well.

"E-Er.." Natsu mumbled shakily, his skin going pale in an instant.

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, not understanding the boy's ramblings at all. Worry took over her angered features, thinking that maybe she used too much force in her punch.

"Natsu?" she asked softly, sounding genuinely concerned. "Are you okay?"

The pink-head's trembling only got more intense. After at least a million attempts at forming a full word, Natsu had finally said his fears aloud.

"Erza...!"

His voice came out as a quiet whimper, as if he was scared that the proud and demonic redhead could somehow hear him.

It was then that Lucy's mind went blank. She didn't have a single clue of what she had to say. So she did the only thing that found its way to the insides of her blonde heard.

She gracefully brought her hand to her face and sighed.

"Natsu, Erza's not here, okay? Besides, I'm Lucy, _Lucy!_ Not Luigi or Erza," the blonde snorted.

That seemed to cool down Natsu a little, though he didn't lower his guard after the incident. They walked in a comfortable silence for a while until Lucy decided to learn a little more about her original friend.

"So, Natsu," she began. "You've never actually told me where you've learned playing on a guitar like _that_."

Through the whole week that Lucy had been going to the Fairy Academy of Music & Art and Performing Arts, she heard Natsu performing at least a million times. The boy was very proud of his music skills and he showed them to everyone at every occasion he got. Which meant that he did it quite a lot. But Lucy had to admit, he _was _damn good.

Natsu's head turned to her quickly, his pitch black eyes dancing with amusement.

"Like _what_?" he asked and the girl instantly knew he was teasing her. Again.

"Cut it, Natsu, you know what I mean," Lucy replied, laughing lightly at the way the pink-head was fishing for more compliments.

But he only grinned stupidly, awaiting her next words eagerly. The girl giggled.

"Okay, okay! Like amazing, awesome, _flawless_!" she dramatically exclaimed. "Was that enough?"

Natsu chuckled at his friend's words and suddenly became very serious.

"I've heard better compliments, but I'll take it nonetheless."

Lucy burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles, clutching her stomach tightly and trying to regain steady breathing. When she looked up to see a genuinely offended Natsu, her laughing had gotten even worse.

"Oi, Lucy, stop laughing already!" he said, pouting. "Geez, what a weirdo."

The blonde quirked an eyebrow at this, still smiling. "Oi, who's a weirdo, you idiot? I'm not the one trying to sound all intelligent!" She smacked his arm playfully, but Natsu only pouted even more and crossed his limbs on his chest. Lucy giggled lightly.

_What a cutie._

"Okay, okay! Sorry for that, it just doesn't suit you," she apologized, cracking a half-grin. "Will you tell me already who taught you?"

Natsu forgot about all the offensive to him things at the welcomed memories of his foster father, and Lucy noted how his eyes started shining brightly with a powerful emotion.

"Igneel!" the pink-head almost shouted from excitement that shot straight through his whole body. "My dad! He's the bestest guitarist in the world!"

"The best," the blonde corrected automatically, receiving a confused look from the other. "Not _the bestest_ but _the best_. Speak the proper English, please."

Natsu blinked at her with a blank look on his face and promptly ignored Lucy's attempt to seem, in his opinion, more educated.

"Anyway, I remember when he played the guitar." At this his features softened immediately, a warm memory replaying itself in his head for who knows which time. "It was... awesome, really. The feelings you got when he played just a few simple notes... It's..." He sighed deeply with a faraway look in his smiling eyes. "You just can't describe it, Lucy. You just can't. It was too good."

Lucy watched him closely when he was speaking. She saw how the memory of his father playing affected him. She saw how much he must have loved him. She saw how much he wanted to hear this sound again.

Lucy wasn't confused by this. Her class teacher and also the vice-principal, Mirajane Strauss, had told her that Natsu lived alone, with only a cat as a company. She hadn't enlightened her about his father, though, saying that it was Natsu's place to tell her. The blonde had agreed silently with the woman and didn't ask unnecessary questions anymore.

"Was?" she asked after a while. Natsu turned to look at her with a sad smile.

"When I got back home from school he wasn't there. It was seven years ago, I was eleven back then. I looked for him, but... never found him." Something flickered through his eyes. Was it... surrender? Grief? Lucy wasn't sure, but she knew that the boy still didn't want to accept the sad fact that his father may have been dead.

"Natsu," she spoke concerned. She knew what he felt. Her own mother left seven years ago, too. It was strange, how alike they were. How absolutely different yet strangely alike.

She didn't like this Natsu, though. Where was his signature grin? Where was this glint in his always smiling eyes? Where was his loud and happy laugh?

Before she could say anything more, Natsu was grinning once again. "But I'll find him! I know for sure that he's alive! I'll find him and bring him back!"

His determined expression was a shock for Lucy. Just how stupid, stubborn, and loyal this boy could be?

He would never stop amazing her.

"And you, Lucy? Who taught you playing the piano?"

The blonde smiled genuinely at the question. "My mom," she answered. "She was amazing. I, too, remember how beautifully she could play. How her fingers could dance fluently on the piano keys. How lovely she would smile then and even sing along. How her flawless voice matched the marvellous sound of the piano." Lucy's smile was now of a day dreaming person. "You can't describe it, too, Natsu. It was just... hauntingly beautiful."

Natsu stared amazed at his friend. Her words held an emotion he knew, the very same emotion he felt when he was talking about his dad. However, he didn't know much about the girl walking beside him. She didn't talk often about her past. He had figured that she was just like him. Just like Erza. Just like Gray. She, too, had lost something precious to her.

Something that held her in the past.

"When did it happen?" Natsu asked quietly, glancing at the girl from the corner of his eye. Lucy was looking straight ahead, her smile faltering. The girl started talking, but didn't turn to look him in the eyes.

"Seven years ago, too."

After a while of silence, she had suddenly laughed. The laugh wasn't a happy sound as usual, though. It was a dry and humourless laugh. A laugh which showed bitterness and sorrow Lucy felt.

"This woman... I miss her, you know? And I think my dad misses her, too. That's why he's changed." She looked up to the sky, thinking about her family. "They left me all alone in this ugly world."

Natsu crossed his arms behind his head and grinned lazily.

"Nah, you're wrong, Lucy." The girl twisted her head in his direction, curious as to what he had in mind. "We both had shitty childhood, true. And we both saw what fucked up things people could do for money. But this world's definitely not ugly. The people living in it are, Lucy. Not all of them, though. And that's what makes this world pretty amazing. The people you love, your family, friends. So don't say things like that, Lucy. Because this world's awesome thanks to the people like you."

Lucy looked astonished at the boy of whom everybody thought as of a someone with a really simple brain. She liked how a few words from him could make her day better. But these words... These words stirred something inside her. They were simply beautiful.

She felt her lips stretching into a wide, heartfelt smile, and a wet feeling on her cheeks. Natsu gave her his signature grin, but at seeing her expression, he frowned.

"L-Lucy! Are you okay? What happened? Why are you crying?" he bombarded her with questions and the girl simply laughed. She brought a hand to her eyes and carefully wiped off the tears.

"Oh, sorry! I'm emotional, that's all!" she explained with a moved voice. "Thank you, Natsu."

The pink-head once again grinned fully and put his arm around her shoulders.

"No problem, weirdo!"

Lucy laughed for a millionth time this morning and stuck out a tongue at her friend.

_Let's tease him, too, that idiot!_

"But look at you, Natsu! Who could've thought that you could actually _think _of the words like that!"

Natsu immediately felt offended. "Oi! Are you calling me stupid?"

"If you have to ask-"

The boy cut Lucy's witty retort by ruffling her hair with his free hand.

"O-oi! Natsu! S-stop it!"

After a while of bickering and laughing, the two had managed to finally get themselves calm.

"You know what, Natsu? I'm glad we're stuck together."

Natsu grinned, hugging Lucy's form closer to his side.

"Me too, Lucy. I'm frickin' glad."

* * *

The girl with blue hair was watching from afar the students walking into the school. Some of them were cheerful, some of them sleepy, and some of them grumpy. But all of them were similar. All of them had cracked a smile at some point in their little journey.

Juvia once again felt out of place. She couldn't bring herself to walk through the door. She couldn't do it through the past week. And oh boy, did she want it so badly.

She didn't know why she was so scared, though. Yes, people had always rejected her and pushed her away. But it had changed after she enrolled at the Phantom Academy. There she was a member of an elite group, the Element Four. Everyone knew her name and her music skills, and they respected her.

The Phantom Academy was one of the most known music schools in Fiore, or even in the whole Earth Land, but it got disbanded some time after it was revealed that the principal, Jose Porla, used to sabotage a lot of music competitions. The school was banned from participating in said contests and it wasn't a long time until first students started leaving the academy. Later on the school experienced financial problems and even more students quit. The Council had no choice but to disband the Phantom Academy.

After that Juvia was left alone and her social anxiety came back. She once again had started being extremely self-conscious about her singing skills and didn't know what to do with herself.

That was until she received a letter from the principal of the Fairy Academy of Music & Arts and Performing Arts. Makarov Dreyar, for that was his name, was fully aware of Juvia's "brilliant musical skills", as he had written himself, and wanted her to develop them in his school.

The girl agreed in an instant, of course. The place was unofficially known as the best art school in the whole Fiore after all. She didn't want to go alone, though. That's why she tried to convince her closest friend and a former classmate, Gajeel Redfox, to go on an audition. Unfortunately, he refused, being the stubborn guy he was.

Juvia was snatched from her daze by a familiar sound of a thunder. She smiled unconsciously when something wet fell on the top of her head. The girl watched with an amused gaze how the students quickened their pace in fright of getting wet.

But one couple was different. While the others were trying to get into the building as fast as possible, the blonde girl with pigtails and the pink headed boy with an original scarf simply didn't give a damn.

They were even _enjoying_ the weather.

The sight left Juvia breathless. Maybe she had been too pessimistic all this time. Maybe the people in the Fairy Academy were different. Maybe they would accept her the way she was.

It was worth a try, right?

Suddenly the pink haired boy burst out with laughter. The blonde girl giggled along, but after some time she finally asked, "Natsu, what are we laughing at?"

And at the pink-head's retort Juvia couldn't hold her own quiet chuckle.

"I can see your boobs, Lucy!"

Lucy immediately went red and smacked the boy across his head. Hard.

"Stop staring, you pervert!"

She then sprinted to school with a still laughing Natsu as a tail.

Juvia wondered if everybody at this school was as lively as those two. She would like to make friends with the people like that.

The rain was pouring down heavily now, and with each passing second Juvia's wish to burst through the door to her new school was decreasing. Maybe she would just stay a little more, it wasn't like anyone waited for her.

The bell rang and it was enough for Juvia to decide to skip classes.

She stepped from behind the tree and with slow, unsure steps she began to walk through the school's square. The blue haired girl listened to the echo of droplets hitting the stony floor and hummed softly. The two sounds mixed each other, creating a sweet melody to one's ears.

Juvia stopped, however, at hearing a distant tune of a piano. She knew that song. The girl stood silent in the rain, turning her head in the direction of a peaceful music to be able to hear it better. She scanned the enormous building for any opened windows, and when Juvia finally spotted one, she hesitantly yet curiously crept towards it. Much to her surprise the tune was repeating itself, there were no vocals when they were supposed to sound a long time ago. It was as if someone was waiting for her.

At the thought Juvia felt a warm feeling spreading itself in her belly. What if it actually was true? What if someone was playing specially for her, to encourage her to step through the big door of the Fairy Academy? She _was_ a part of it now, after all. And she saw how cheerful and nice people were here.

Suddenly, a low, male voice from the inside of the room broke through her train of conflicted thought.

"Aren't you going to sing?"

Juvia's eyes snapped wide open. _They want Juvia to join them?_

She looked up to see a dark haired, handsome boy around her age. Juvia felt breathless in an instant. Her heart started beating in a way she didn't know, and it fascinated her. She was flustered by his presence, by his lazy eyes piercing through hers, by his cool smirk playing on his pale lips.

A small smile made its way onto her face and she couldn't resist the sweet idea of being wanted.

"_Mad world_," she sang quietly, knowing what part of the song came up.

"Come on, we can't hear you!"

Juvia felt the excitement shot through her veins at the encouragement, this time from a respectful, red haired woman. She opened her mouth wider and loudened her voice. She was enjoying it, just as the old times. Not back when she was singing in the Phantom Academy, she felt as if she was singing back home.

Back home, with her mother listening.

She was surprised at how the words of the song fit her current situation perfectly. She was nervous, nobody knew her and she was unsure of what would happen if she finally went through the door. But with each passing second spent on singing in the rain she cared less and less.

The whole situation was kind of funny, and kind of sad, to be honest. The girl was swaying slightly from side to side to the slow rhythm while walking through yet another paddle, a shy smile never living her face. She was singing how her dreams were about her death, for she couldn't stand the world around her being the same with all the people running in circles, and how she wished someone would have finally understood her and given her an advice.

The song wasn't sad, though. The melody was soothing and calming, yet it stirred something in one's heart. It was... pretty.

While the raindrops were hitting her pale skin, Juvia's thoughts were a total opposite of the words she was singing.

Because the best dream she'd ever had was a dream in which other people wanted her as a friend.

And in the exact moment, with this few students cheering on her from the window, she knew that the Fairies made this dream reality.

_This world's really mad._

* * *

"Lucy, your piano skills are truly amazing!" exclaimed the beautiful, young woman with long, white hair. Mirajane smiled prettily at her student and Lucy once again was swooning inwardly over her beauty.

"Thank you, Ms. Strauss!" the blonde replied, flattered that the woman she was looking up to had praised her. The teacher giggled sweetly in return.

"Now, now, what did I say, Lucy?"

The girl blinked at Mirajane slightly confused. "That my piano skills are truly amazing?" she asked unsure. The white haired woman offered an amused smile at this.

"Yes, but what I had in mind was that you have no reason to be thankful to me, when it is you who has the outstanding talent!"

Lucy blushed at her teacher's words and wanted to thank her once again, but bit her tongue just in time.

"Oh my, I can't wait to meet Juvia!" Mirajane said as she was walking out of the music room. "I'll be back in a minute, I'm just going to get Mr. Dreyar here. The principal has to properly welcome our new Fairy."

Lucy stood up from the piano stool and headed in the direction of the window, towards her already fighting friends. She looked outside and was surprised to see no blue haired girl who was singing beautifully and truly just a minute ago. Gray noticed her confusion and became the one to enlighten her on the case.

"Erza went down to greet the new girl and-"

Her friend paid for trying to be the nice guy with being hit in the face by raging Natsu.

"Ha! What now, ice princess?! I'm all fired-"

Now it was the pink-head's turn to be silenced rather roughly.

"Fired up, my ass! Look who's-"

This time Gray fell silent with a kick, something he was unprepared for.

"Oi, stripper! I'm standing here, you're the one-"

And Natsu flew to the other side of the room, almost crushing into the piano in the process. They went on with their usual fight and Lucy just stood by the window, a tired expression evident on her face.

"Umm, guys?" she began awkwardly, trying to get their attention. "I-I think Erza once said that Natsu shouldn't be fighting..."

"The hell, Gray?! Where did you get that ice cream from?!"

"...yet you two are fighting..."

"You're the one with Tabasco sauce, fire brain!"

No progress.

"I-I think you should stop already," the blonde said, walking up closer to the two boys. "We don't want to scare Juvia-"

She couldn't end her sentence due to a sudden pain that filled her eyes.

Lucy yelped and brought her hands to her face, trying to wipe off a fine amount of Tabasco sauce that had gotten behind her eyelids. Rage started boiling up inside her, and when her vision finally cleared enough for her to be able to see, she made a final decision.

* * *

Natsu and Gray were too occupied by throwing random objects and their unusual food supplies at each other to notice the dark aura, so similar to the one they knew very well. Finally their fight was interrupted by a quiet yet powerful demand.

"Shut this."

They immediately stopped and slowly turned their heads in the direction of a thrilling voice. What they saw wasn't something they were prepared to see.

Lucy.

Lucy with a blurred mascara.

Lucy with bloodshot red eyes.

Lucy with gritted teeth and a murderous glance.

Natsu and Gray simultaneously gulped.

The usually sweet and cheerful blonde slowly made her way towards them and snatched the bottle of Tabasco sauce from the pink-head's hand. She looked at it and after a while a devilish smirk greeted her features. The boys trembled.

"I wonder," she began, her voice dark and chilling to the bone, "if this sauce can make someone cry..."

Natsu and Gray were scared to the point of hugging each other.

"Let's find out, okay?"

* * *

Erza walked proudly through the long corridors of the Fairy Academy with the quiet new student by her side. The redhead had already shown her the whole school and now they were going to the music room where everyone else was waiting.

The school's president figured that the blue haired girl fitted perfectly in their academy. She had a sad past. She wasn't accepted anywhere else. She was alone. She needed another family.

She was just like another Fairy.

Erza stole a glance at Juvia and noted the girl's shyness.

"Hey," she spoke, smiling warmly. "There's no need to be scared." The girl hesitantly looked her way, as if telling her that she was listening.

"You're a Fairy. We won't hurt you, because you're one of us."

Juvia visibly relaxed at the few simple words and Erza's smile grew at the sight. They were getting closer to the music room, however she didn't notice cries of pure agony filling the air due to her proud speech.

"Everybody in the Fairy Academy is similar. We all went through hard things in the past and we all were alone. But in this school we have found peace," she said, opening the big door to the saloon. "So there's no reason to be scared, because we're all..."

It was now that Erza finally heard screams. She turned her head and saw Natsu and Gray laying on the floor while desperately wiping their eyes. What surprised her though was a sight of Lucy smirking darkly and standing above the two boys, gripping tightly a bottle of Tabasco sauce in her hand.

"...friends."

Erza looked around the spacious room and was completely shocked. She still remembered the shine of the marble floor, the clean peach-coloured walls with many big windows hiding behind the rich curtains, the way how the beige cushioned chairs were standing beside quite a few coffee tables decorated by vases with colourful bouquets inside. She still had in mind the neat and well-kept room with breathtaking paintings and marmoreal sculptures to adorn it even more than it already was.

Now, the only things that resembled the earlier look of the luxurious saloon were the musical instruments, standing untouched on the low scene on the other side of the room.

To say that Erza was angered would have been a big understatement. She was furious, raging, _mad. _Despite the negative emotions bottling up inside her, her façade didn't move at all. Excluding her eyes, which narrowed a slightest bit.

"Natsu. Gray. Be quiet."

Silence fell upon the group of three people in crime. They froze immediately and didn't dare to move, with absolutely no intention on irritating the school's president more.

"Lucy. Put that bottle down. _Now_."

The girl did as she was told without protesting. She didn't look up, though, for the thrilling fright she felt upon facing the demanding redhead.

Erza abandoned confused and slightly scared Juvia and paced slowly to the centre of the room, carefully avoiding stepping on pieces of the shattered vases and tripping on the scattered chairs. She eyed the three students with her powerful gaze and once again opened her mouth.

"You two," she addressed Natsu and Gray. "Stand up."

The boys rose from the ground, both tensed and full of fear.

"Now," Erza said, cracking her knuckles. "Would you tell me what happened while I was absent?"

In this moment Juvia began to doubt the school's president's earlier speech about friendship and peace present in lives of the so called Fairies.

* * *

**AN: **How did you like it? And what about the song? In my opinion the lyrics perfectly fit this fanfiction.

This chapter had more comedy in it, I giggled from time to time while writing it :D

About the song, I wanted to let you know that there will be more situations like that. At the beginning of the chapter I will write about a certain song and in which moment you're supposed to play it. It'll help you to feel the mood of the story this way :)

Review! I want to know your thoughts on this chapter, do you like my writing style, what I'm doing with the story, my idea about songs... If you don't want to review, then PM me, or go visit my tumblr account and talk with me there! (The link is on my profile page) I honestly want to know your opinion, pancakes. It's very important to me and it brings a smile to my face :)

Thanks you for stopping by, see you next time!


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